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Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Do you ever get a nagging sensation that something is not quite right inside of you? I’m not talking about a kink in your neck or an upset stomach – this is deeper than that. Maybe it’s a limitation within yourself, or a lack of flow and direction where there once was an abundance.

Familiar with any of those?

Of course you are, because you’re human! If you didn’t encounter occasional slumps, I’d be worried that you had a screw loose.

Inhabiting these earthly bodies on this physical plane, it’s normal to sometimes feel out of alignment with who we truly are. Yes, it’s our responsibility to recalibrate and reconnect whenever we can, but it’s silly to beat ourselves up every time we fall out of the saddle.

The quote below illustrates how these minor setbacks are really an opportunity in disguise:

“Contrast allows us to see what is not in alignment with our Authentic Selves, and then presents us with opportunity after opportunity to respond from a place of compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, love, joy, gratitude, etc. Thus, when we break the karmic loop we swing back into alignment with Spirit.” — Alaric Hutchinson, Living Peace

But sometimes this “karmic loop” isn’t so obvious to us – even when we’re entangled within it. We Homo sapiens have a habit of tricking ourselves into believing that we’re absolutely fine and it’s the world around us that is the problem.

Not to worry! We’ve got the antidote below.

Below are 5 ways you can tell when you’re out of spiritual alignment, and some possible solutions to rejuvenate your connection.

1. Fatigue
We all get tired, but this one goes bone deep. Your whole soul feels tired. This can happen when we are not living in alignment with our purpose, or when we are being inauthentic about something. These blind spots take a lot of life-force energy to compensate for, and you will likely feel a surge of energy once you begin to address and mend them. (By the way, we all have these – no shame allowed!)

Questions to consider:

Where am I being inauthentic?
What kinds of dreams am I having when I sleep?
Where can I honor my word by acknowledging where I’ve been out of integrity to myself or those close to me?

Suggestions to try:

Meditate or pray, and seek the answers within to discover your purpose or the hidden meanings in your dreamtime.
Take a walk, or try more vigorous exercise if you can. There’s nothing like getting into action to wake up and shake up old energy.
Recharge your spine. The spine is the axis of our being, and the best way to combat fatigue is to wake up our innermost beings. You can do this through a seated meditation pose, or through spinal rotations. Stand with your feet planted firmly on the ground, about hip-width apart, raise your straightened arms to shoulder-height, and then gently twist back and forth, from left to right. Try this for 1 to 3 minutes, and you should start feeling a little more enlivened.
Use essential oils in a diffuser. Try lemon for its refreshing quality, or rosemary to clear and enliven the mind.

2. Irregular Breathing
What does breath have to do with anything? Everything.

The English word for “spirit” comes from the Latin word “spiritus,” which means “breath.” Our connection to our breath is therefore very telling. Irregular breathing can mean anything from very shallow, to intermittent, or even heavy, which is different from relaxed deep breathing. This can be caused by a few different things, including anxiety, anger, and stress.

Questions to consider:

Where in my life am I holding onto fear, anger or resentment?
Where in my body do I feel tension?
What parts of myself are in need of personal attention?

Suggestions to try:

If you discover you have anger, forgive. Forgive deeply and completely. For some help with this – here is a great 9 step guide we found from Berkeley University on how to forgive.
Experiment with 4-7-8 Rhythmic Breathing. With your body relaxed, inhale deeply into your belly for a count of 4; hold your breath for a count of 7; exhale for a count of 8 at which point your lungs should be completely emptied of air. Repeat for a few rounds.
For those holding on to stress or anxiety, nourish yourself with an Epsom salts bath and essential oils. The salts contain magnesium, which have a soothing and calming effect. Similarly, essential oils can induce wonderful effects. Try lavender (soothing and calming), geranium (promotes cheerfulness and prevents the mental downward spiral), fennel (for self-compassion), frankincense (relaxation), or eucalyptus (to promote respiratory circulation).

3. Difficulty Concentrating
We live in a society where we are overwhelmed and overcommitted, more often to things we don’t even really, authentically care about. Many of us chase so many “shiny” objects in a given day that we’re left feeling scattered and somewhat directionless. You may be truly excited about all of the things you’re up to, but have a simple problem of math — there are not enough hours in the day.

Questions to consider:

Where am I overcommitted?
What is my highest priority today, this week, this month, this year?
Where in my day can I create more space for myself to just be?

Suggestions to try:

Protect your time. It’s precious and often times squandered away.
Put things into existence on a calendar or a project management app.
Try a visualization meditation. Create 50-minute “productivity blocks” for each working hour. Then take short breaks for 5 to 10 minutes and visualize from beginning to end how your next hour will go. If you can’t do this each hour, maybe try a morning meditation at the beginning of each work day, and visualize your most powerful day.
Apply a drop of peppermint oil by rubbing into each of your temples. Peppermint promotes concentration and focus.

4. Sadness, Depression
Loss is often the culprit here. Loss of a loved one, loss of a friendship, loss of a pet, or a job, or child custody, or a home. Perhaps you’re feeling a loss of power, or loss of your youth, or your health. When we deconstruct our sadness or depression, we often find fear. Fear of being alone, fear of abandonment, and the ultimate — fear of death.

Questions to consider:

Where in my body am I holding onto grief?
What do I feel I’ve lost?
What shadow do I possess that I refuse to acknowledge?

Suggestions to try:

Develop a gratitude practice. Gratitude is the antidote for both anger or sadness. Begin making a daily list of 5 to 10 things you’re grateful for, and watch how beautiful the world suddenly becomes.
If you’re really daring, send a heartfelt note to someone you do not like and perhaps you’ll witness a miracle.
Try a couple of drops of grapefruit essential oil mixed into a glass of drinking water. Grapefruit promotes positivity and joy. (Make sure the essential oils you’re using are consumable. They will have nutritional information listed on their vials to indicate edibility.)

5. Irritability
When your nerves are on alert, imbalance is typically the culprit here, and more often than not this has to do with the precarious balance of chemicals in our bodies. Maintaining proper nutrition, hydration, energetic, and hormone balances are key.

Questions to consider:

How much caffeine, sugar, or alcohol am I consuming?
How much do I sleep at night?
Am I maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy diet?
How fulfilling is my sex life?

Suggestions to try:

Add more leafy greens, root vegetables, and fruits to your diet.
Increase hydration – drink 100 oz of water each day.
Consider cutting way back—or even eliminating—caffeine, refined sugar, and alcohol from your diet for a week or two, and see if you notice a difference in your mood.
Try the following essential oils for balancing hormones: clary sage, sandalwood, or thyme.
Practice an eye-gazing meditation with a romantic partner while seated in yab-yum. The physical touch balances erratic energy, and the eye-gazing itself will take you deeper inside yourself—and your lover—far away from the surface where the commotion is.

Final Thoughts
Our bodies are the proverbial temples where our spirits reside, yet we all too often ignore our own sacred spaces. Getting back in touch with who we truly are, and nurturing ourselves can revitalize our own mind-body-spirit connections.

But don’t take my word for it; try some of these for yourself. And remember, we are ALL connected.